Shelton favors three, hopes Clemson enters mix

More than a year before he’ll sign a national letter of intent, Rocky Shelton’s recruitment is in no need of a jumpstart. The class-of-2018 linebacker already holds seven scholarship offers and plays his high school football at national powerhouse Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) S. Thomas Aquinas. Shelton is by no means an under-the-radar prospect.

Instead, Shelton is a junior with options – options that seem to be expanding by month. He’s also a player with a short list of standouts, and he doesn’t much mind rattling it off when asked.

“The top school I would say is Florida State,” Shelton said. “Well, it’s probably Florida State, LSU and I’m gonna say Michigan State.”

Of the group of frontrunners, LSU is Shelton’s most recent offers. He’s still gathering information on Les Miles’ Tigers program, so the fact that the school has already found a place near the top of his list says something about its allure.

“I don’t know a bunch about LSU yet, but I like them,” Shelton said. “I mean, I like what I do know about them.”

IN HIS WORDS: “I want that Clemson offer. Clemson’s just … Clemson is the hype, man. I like them before last year. I’ve just always liked them.”

RIVALS REACTION: It’s early in the process. And while it seems like Florida State holds a slight edge of LSU and Michigan State for the time being, things could change quickly. Shelton’s perspective will likely shift as he takes visits and garners other offers. Predicting where he may land at this point is difficult to say the least.